PlayStation

Mega Man X6

Mega Man X6 is the kind of game you can’t get out of your mind. Though frustration may make you set it down (I limited myself to about an hour a run) it’s a game you can always come back to.

This game is full of great gameplay and action, great graphics, great sound, great control, and great frustration. I think the only thing keeping Mega Man X6 from being a great overall game, though, is making it pretty inaccessible to inexperienced players despite the difficulty settings. I would certainly recommend this game to anyone that's a fan of the Mega Man series or anyone that wants to play a real challenging 2D side-scroller. It is definitely not for the casual game player or someone that wants a "walk-in-the-park" type game which is why I'm giving it a score of 82.

Fans who enjoy side-scrolling shooters won't find much to complain about in Mega Man X6, especially gamers familiar with the terrific Mega Man action of previous titles. Rarely does a game change dependent on how you play, but this one manages it nicely. There's enough gameplay to satisfy most fans, and the replay value is higher than normal due to the nonlinear gameplay, extra character, and changing inventory.

Even though it brings some new stuff to the table, Mega Man X6 is a bit of a step backwards in comparison to Mega Man X5, which is still my current favorite in the Mega Man X series. That said it's still an excellent 2D action game that Mega Man fans won't be able to pass up. It's not new or innovative, but it's great fun and offers more challenge than most of today's dumbed down games.

Mega Man X6 has all trademark qualities of other entries in the series: Unspectacular 2D sprites do an adequate job illustrating the onscreen action, while the innocuous audio plugs away to grinding rock-riff music. The simplistic controls are responsive and easy-to-learn just be cautious of the double-tap dash that can easily launch you off a cliff when you’re trying to creep to the edge of it. Ultimately, Mega Man X6 will appeal to fans of the series, but gamers looking for more than strict jump-n-shoot fare should look elsewhere.

I like the nostalgia of this title, and the no-holds-barred 2D action, yet I can’t help but think Mega Man could be so much more. Capcom-heads will be pleased, but that’s about as far as it goes.

Un épisode fidèle à la série des Megaman X, qui s'adresse avant tout aux nostalgiques de la 2D et aux inconditionnels de la série culte de Capcom.

It's not difficult to see that Mega Man X6 is a disappointing effort. The nightmare system and the item collecting add variety and longevity to the game, but these two features can easily be set to the side to accomplish the larger goal of just completing the game--which isn't an incredibly easy task--but most shouldn't have trouble getting through each maverick level and the subsequent boss fights with Gate and others after three or four tries. The graphics aren't really even up to the standards set by older games in the series, and while the music is good, there aren't any tracks that particularly stand out. Despite these shortcomings, it's still Mega Man, and the gameplay is still entertaining, making X6 an attractive package for hard-core Mega Man fans. However, everyone else should probably give it a rent first.

Before you read any further, I’d like to properly set the mood for this review. I want you to head into your kitchen and follow these steps. Turn on the light, walk over to the refrigerator, and grab yourself a beverage. Grab a glass, add a handful of ice, then poor the drink. After this, leave the room. Now, repeat this entire process six times. Congratulations! In a bizarre sort of way, you have just played Mega Man X6.

Despite a good fan base and general video game love, the recent past has demonstrated that Mega Man stagnates with each new iteration. The gameplay manages to stay intact, but the recyling of the same formula over and over again has beaten the magic out of the series. Mega Man X6 proves the honeymoon is over.

This one was either produced under rushed conditions or without any care at all. No wonder Sony tends to reject 2-D games like this. This will easily go down as one of the worst in the series, and as one of the weakest of all Mega Man games period. It won't be easy to rebound from this disaster.

What else can be said about this mind-blowing game? It enraged me so much during gameplay that any fun aspects of it were lost; the annoying parts were very clear to me, resulting in an overall unpleasant experience. The game IS finishable, at least, but not without me cursing at the television first. It is also clear that Mega Man X6 was a rushed release, as it feels unpolished with errors abound. This is not an unfounded theory, as both X5 and X6 were released (in North America) in the same year. I love the Mega Man series, but still I cannot recommend this game, unless you have the urge to raise your own blood pressure. Expect a few controllers to be flung through the air on this one.

I realize that 2-D platformers are slowly becoming a thing of the past in a world of three-dimensional gaming. However, Mega Man X6 is surely not an example by which they should be remembered. This game is basically a regrouping of every negative aspect in the series, with a few new ones added, crammed into a single disc. If Capcom has any intention of releasing more Mega Man X games, it should honestly consider bringing the series closer to its origins and look to simplicity as more than just a concept restricted to games created prior to the Playstation/N64 era.